About Chief Okanase (aka Michel Cardinal)

CHIEF OKANASE (aka LITTLE BONE or MICHEL CARDINAL)

Please note that Chief Okanase is not the same person as Michel Okanins

An Ojibway First Nation, this history is provided by our Indigenous 'Oral Tradition'

Chief Okanase (aka Chief Michel Cardinal) is the son of Old Chief George Okanase (aka Old Chief George Bone) and his wife Kookoo Cardinal. His alternative surname Cardinal was inherited from his mother, rather than his father. given to him through the Sacred Pipe ceremony. Government agents translated Okanase as Bone and assigned it as a surname under the Indian Act authority. Old George Bone had sons and grandsons who were named after him, and he has many descendants with the name.

Our People of Riding Mountain House

Our People of Riding Mountain House by Walter Scott; Chief Okanase's band lived and hunted and trapped in the Riding Mountain. Area of Lake Audey, Clear Lake, White Water Lake, Kinnis Creek, Shoal Lake, Bone Lake, and all areas of the Riding Mountain the decendants of first original Nation of this area. The Okanase band lived a good life, documented in the early 1800's in the winter months they lived in the Riding Mountain around Lake Audey. The west end of Clear Lake aka Wasagaming where Chief Pat Bone had his village, and North and on the present day Golf course. There was food, buffalo, moose and elk where very abundant, fuel and shelter at its best. One of their home sites was along the west shore of Wasagaming aka Clear Lake near the Okanase Cemetary. Another home site was the entire area of the present day Golf course where the Lake comes in like a bay. Also, home site Lake Audey, Kinnis Creek. Fish and game birds were very plentyful, on their other home land Lake Audey known to the Okanase Nation as Poneeakesakaekun which means in Ojibway "bird landing lake". In the spring they would journey to their spring home land in the area of the Riding Mountain known now as McCreary for the making of Maple Syrup which was stored in weegwass mukkuk which means birch bark containers. The weegwass mukkuk were sealed with spruce pitch. In the summer the Okanase Nation would hunt Buffaloo on the Plains on the south west side of the Riding Mountain. There the Buffaloo chase and the drying of meat, kaskkeewuk which was later pounded into nokkeewaquanuk, then mixed tallow and wild fruit called pemeekkesegun or pemmican. Stored in skin bags of hide or birch bark containers. The Okanase Nation lived a rich, a good life with plenty of food, clothing and are the keepers of the Traditional Medicine of the Riding Mountain and its four boarders.